> I had my hay analyzed, so now how do I read and make sense out of it? I > have 2 columns for the results, one titled "As Received Basis" and the other > is "Dry Matter Basis". Can anyone tell me what the difference is?
"As received" is the same as "As Fed" and means the feed as you would supply it to your horse---that is, including the inherent moisture in the feed. Most hays and grains run about 15-25% moisture, even though it feels more or less dry to the touch (and fresh feeds such as pasture, carrots etc of course have about 75% moisture content). "Dry Matter Basis" means the nutrient concentration once its moisture content has been subtracted from the equation. Below is > the analysis. How do I find out if my hay is good or not? > Can anyone help me decipher this? > As Received Basis Dry Matter Basis > Moisture % 10.64 > Dry Matter % 89.36 > Crude Protein % 4.24 4.74 OK, start with protein. Most mature horses need between 700-1400 grams per day depending on their size and work level. The hay you had analyzed is pretty low in crude protein---it doesn't mean it's worthless, just that you would need to supplement it with a higher protein feed, such as some 14-16% grain mix (depending on how much you you normally feed), or some alfalfa. Purina also has a 33% crude protein product called Horse Charge that a few feed stores carry which would bump up the nutrient concentration. Twenty pounds of the above hay would only supply about 350 grams, so you'd need to feed a good 5-6 pounds of a 14-16% feed and maybe 5 pounds of alfalfa to make up the difference. Supplementing with a better quality feed would also be much more likely to supply a good amino acid profile, which this hay is probably lacking in (ie, lysine and methionine primarily). > Acid De. Fiber % 31.25 34.97 Has to do with digestibility. This is about average, or a little below average for grass hay. It would still be a good fiber source and always worthwhile as just something to munch on (as opposed to fences). > Total Dig. Nutrients % 56.64 63.39 TDN gets higher the more digestible and metabolizable a feed is. So hays tend to be lower in TDN and the numbers go up with grains, fats and soluble carbohydrates. Most decent hays tend to be somewhere in the 60's or so, so this is a slightly below average hay---which again doesn't make it useless, just not something you would necessarily feed to a lactating broodmare, for example. 42.84 > Net Energy-Lact Mcal/lb 0.58 0.65 > Net Energy-Main Mcal/lb 0.58 0.65 > Net Energy-Gain Mcal/lb 0.34 0.38 These are how much energy is actually available to the body for weight gain, muscle work, milk production and so on, primarily used for dairy cattle. It's the energy left over after some is lost in the poop and urine, some is used up by the body digesting it and so on. > Dig Energy(Horses)Mcal/lb 0.77 0.86 OK, this is the one normally used for horses. Most mature grass hays are about in this range of 0.7-0.9 Mcal per lb, though I would guess this number is probably slightly overestimated. Probably enough energy for a horse just standing around, a horse at work would need more energy added to the ration in one form or another. > > Phosphorus % 0.11 0.13 > Calcium % 0.30 0.34 > Potassium % 1.06 1.19 > Magnesium % 0.14 0.15 > Sodium % 0.01 Minerals are all about average for grass hay, and probably adequate depending on your horse and work level. You'd be okay if you supplemented with a commercial grain mix and some alfalfa. There's some thought that magnesium levels should be higher, but this would be sufficient for most horses as long as oyu didn't go real high with the alfalfa (because the calcium can interfere with magnesium). > > Copper ppm 12 A bit low. Okay if you supplemented. > Zinc ppm 33 > 37 Okay if you supplemented, too low IMO for a working horse, as zinc is useful for antioxidant function, etc and isn't a nutrient you want to skip. > Manganese ppm 85 95 Plenty. Bottom line, this is a good average hay for munching and some basic nutrients and great for satisfying grazing instinct. Inadequate by itself as a sole feed IMO. Use other high quality feeds to fill in the gaps for a working horse, and don't forget free choice salt. Hope this helps. Susan G =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
